India’s opposition wants Manmohan Singh to resign

India's opposition today (22nd) vowed to block parliamentary proceedings until the prime minister Manmohan Singh resigned over a coal scandal, raising the prospect of more legislative deadlock and stalled reforms.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was implicated by the national auditor in a report published last Friday which suggested the government had lost out on billions of dollars of revenue by gifting away coal mining rights.

Singh, who has seen his reputation as "Mr Clean" damaged by a string of scandals in his second term in government, served as acting coal minister from 2004-2009.

Senior opposition leader Arun Jaitley said his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would obstruct parliamentary proceedings until the 79-year-old Singh took personal responsibility and stepped down.

The threat to disrupt parliament comes as India's economy is badly faltering, with investors and business leaders looking for decisive action from the under-fire government to restore confidence and spur economic growth.